Will Power. Do I need it to recover?

The myth of will power and recovery

One great myth of addiction is that
people need will power alone to kick their habit. This view is an
oversimplification and complete misunderstanding of addiction and to say that
if those in addiction tried harder then they would be able to break their
addictive habits can diminish the resources someone in addiction has to continue to work to get their recovery.

ADDICTION IS COMPLEX

In reality when people talk about this they are failing to understand what addiction is about as it is very complex nor how people
recovery from addiction. Addicts will readily accept much of the time that they do
not want to continue with this lifestyle. Addictive behaviours are the best
responses that a person who struggles to manage their mental health, their
sense of themselves in the world and their own ways of dealing with key
incidents in their lives come up with at times. Addicts are sensitive, intelligent
people who are often very caring for others but lack the skills and confidence
to prioritise caring for themselves.

LEARN HOW TO LIVE ADDICTION FREE

Instead of focusing on someone's ability to change being about their strength of personality there are often much more powerful tools. The craft to getting
someone to find their recovery, centres on them finding an alternative approach
to managing how they feel. If those who were in addiction knew an alternative
approach they would have adopted it many years before, as a life in addiction
is lonely, hard and unfulfilling.

BLAME HELPS NO ONE

To focus on capability or willingness to change or to try harder to cure addiction misunderstands the complex nature of addiction. Even worse,
suggesting lack of will power is the main reason for addiction could even prevent someone getting out of addiction. After a lapse, this approach blames someone for being weak by having no self control.
Each time a person working towards ending their addiction experiences a relapse
they will be de-motivated and vulnerable, blaming them for not having will power will further
undermine their confidence and make it more likely that there lapse will be more long lasting than if they experienced a supportive rather than a blaming approach.

When working with people who have a
broader understanding of recovery, even in the middle of a full relapse, they
present as confident, accepting of their situation and are planning what they
need to do differently next time they return to their recovery pathway.

Focus on Relapse prevention tools to be successful

Better than targeting will power, direct energy to using relapse
prevention tools such as urge surfing, talking therapies, building self esteem.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS TO RECOVERY

Ultimately then, the key to unlocking
people’s recovery is equipping people with the skills and confidence to accept
themselves and the techniques of dealing with crises in early recovery like
dealing with cravings. This process takes many forms and is discussed in
treatments of addiction.